Where are they now? The Steelers that have moved on to other teams in recent years
- Matt Feiler is still a starter
- Artie Burns makes a name for himself as quality depth
- James Conner is still getting the job done
- JuJu Smith-Schuster is not the same
James Conner still has some issues, but remains a quality running back
Conner Strong seems like such a long time ago from when James Conner battled cancer at the University of Pittsburgh. He was one of the best Pitt Panthers to ever play football at the University. The story on top of that only brings more to his already impressive story. After a successful career at Pitt, many played with the idea of the Steelers taking him in the draft.
He fell into the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and the Steelers ran to the commissioner with their selection of him. It was a great story to see in Pittsburgh, and it seemed like all of the worries about the Le'Veon Bell drama at the time dissipated. Conner was there to start if needed, and fans wanted to see him succeed with his hometown club.
His first season as the starter for the black and gold was great, and many thought he was the future at running back in Pittsburgh. Sadly, after that season he was not able to have that type of success again. The offensive line play started to sink, and Conner struggled with on-and-off injuries. After a couple of seasons that seemed to be setbacks, Conner was scheduled to be a free agent.
The Steelers decided to pass on signing him long-term and Conner ended up signing a healthy contract with the Arizona Cardinals. He has found another life in Arizona and has gotten a lot of positive stats during his tenure there. The issue with this running back has always been his past injuries. He is a tough player and will always be loved in the city of Pittsburgh.